Average temperatures across most of South Korea are expected to fall short of last week's record-setting highs, while heavy rain is forecast for the eastern coast and Jeju Island.
Heat wave warnings had been issued in 118 regions across the country as of 5 p.m. Sunday, including the Greater Seoul area and some regions in the Chungcheong, Jeolla, and Gyeongsang provinces. Heat wave advisories were issued across 82 regions.
Highest temperatures recorded in the country ranged from 36.5 degrees Celsius in Gokseong-gun and 35.7 C in Gwangyang, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City (formerly South Jeolla Province and Gwangju), to 35.3 C in North Jeolla Province.
After recording daily highs between 33 C and 39 C, Seoul finally lifted its tropical night warning Saturday and Sunday, breaking a 17-day streak of overnight temperatures staying at 25 C or above.
But daily highs in the mid-30s and tropical nights persisted in most other regions, including Incheon (25 C), Daejeon (26.1 C), Busan (27.5 C), and Changwon (27.7 C) in South Gyeongsang Province.
Emergency heat wave warnings — the highest of a three-tiered system — have been lifted from all regions. Seoul recorded a high of 40.2 C in Nowon-gu on Friday, the first time a district in the capital had surpassed 40 C since 2018.
Meanwhile, temperatures in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, and Uljin-gu, North Gyeongsang Province, are only forecast to rise to 26 C and 27 C, respectively. This is largely due to heavy rain that fell upon the east coast area throughout the weekend, which is expected to continue at least until Sunday.
Mountain regions and coastal areas in Gangwon were expected to see between 30-80 mm of rain, with some areas expecting 100 mm. Busan and Ulsan expected 20-50 mm of rain, and some regions in South Gyeongsang Province were expected to receive between 5-40 mm of rain.
Precipitation on Jeju Island fell below the expected level of up to 50 mm, recording just 1.7 to 6 mm of rain in major areas as of 2 p.m. Sunday. The rainfall did bring temperatures on the island down to the 28-30 C range.
Some regions in southern Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province were forecast to receive 5-40 mm in the afternoon, while forecasts expected up to 60 mm of rain in North Chungcheong Province and Daegu.
The drop in temperatures brought by the rain is expected to be temporary, with temperatures likely to climb again, along with persistent high humidity levels.
Weather authorities projected daytime temperatures Monday to range between 27 C and 34 C across the country, with morning temperatures ranging from 21 C to 26 C. Average apparent temperature is expected to reach 33 C for most regions, with rain expected for eastern coastal areas in Gangwon Province and the Gyeongsang provinces.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
